50 Encyclopaedia of Gardening 



bretias are very useful, for they will thrive in almost any soil, and 

 while they like a cool, rather shady place, with abundance of 

 moisture, they will grow in most places. They form thick masses 

 of long, narrow, Iris-like leaves, from the midst of which the flower- 

 stems rise. They may be propagated by division in spring. Most 

 of the sorts are yellow or orange in colour, and the flowers are borne 

 in large quantities over a long period. George Davison, yellow; 

 Germania, scarlet; Golden Sheaf, yellow; Pluie d'or, apricot; and 

 Prometheus, orange, are good varieties. 



Narcissus. See Daffodil. 



Nerine. A beautiful genus of half-hardy and tender bulbs, suit- 

 able for cool houses or for warm, sheltered places indoors in mild 

 districts. The brilliant, glistening flowers are borne in umbels in 

 late summer. Increasing slowly, and being impatient of disturb- 

 ance, they are rather more expensive than the majority of bulbs, 

 but the rates are not exorbitant. Nerine (Amaryllis) sarniensis, 

 the Guernsey Lily, is one of the most beautiful of the genus, and 

 there is a large trade done in it in late summer, the plants being 

 bought with Roman Hyacinths when the flower-spikes are rising 

 from the bulbs. They make their growth after blooming, and 

 should be watered until they show signs of going to rest in spring, 

 when they should be dried off for the summer. The bulb soil suits 

 them. It is best to leave them in the same pot until they get very 

 crowded, as frequent shifting is bad. The following are beautiful 

 Nerines: Bowdeni, pink; corusca major, scarlet; Fothergilli major, 

 crimson; and Salmon Queen, salmon. 



Ornithogalum. Best known through the pretty white " Star of 

 Bethlehem," O. umbellatum, a fragrant flower often grown on the 

 rockery or near the front of the border, hardy, and thriving in 

 ordinary soil if the bulbs are planted an inch deep and 6 ins. apart ; 

 it likes a shady spot. Arabicum, on the other hand, prefers a warm, 

 sunny spot; it is a beautiful and fragrant species, the white flowers 

 having a central boss of shining black. It may be grown in pots for 

 spring flowering, and as it is both pretty and sweet it is worth a 

 place in the greenhouse. Lacteum, white with yellow anthers; and 

 nutans, grey, are also popular. 



Pancratium. A beautiful white greenhouse bulb, with long 

 sepals. - It thrives in the usual bulb soil, and may be grown singly 

 in 5 -in. or 6-in. pots. Most of the Pancratiums are agreeably 

 scented. Calathina and fragrans, white, sweet, are perhaps the 

 best-known species. Maritimum is also grown a good deal. The 

 last may be grown out of doors in sandy, well-drained soil in a 

 sunny place. 



Ranunculus. This florists' flower has lost some of its old-time 

 favour, and is rarely bedded by florists as was once the case. The 

 flowers are symmetrical and brilliantly coloured, but rather stiff. 

 The Turban class are early bloomers, and may be planted 2 ins. deep 

 and a foot apart, claws doAvnward, in autumn; the French and 

 Persian, which bloom later, may be planted in February or March. 

 They all like a sandy, friable, well-drained soil. 



Schizostylis coccinea (scarlet Kaffir Lily) . The great value of this 

 bright little plant is that it blooms in autumn and early winter, when 



